All 8 Harry Potter Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best (Including Fantastic Beasts) – GoodHousekeeping.com

The Crimes of Grindelwald falls as flat a first-year wizarding student off an out-of-control broom. It’s full of expository dialogue, unearned emotion, cheesy effects, and a world with all of the nuance of Crabbe and Goyle. Even diehard Potterheads can’t stomach this one, and the Rotten Tomatoes scores reflect that: a dismal 37% from critics and 55 from fans.

I’ll just come right out and say it: It’s not a Harry Potter movie. Sure, there are mystical beasts, impossible feats, and plenty of the confusion that results when the Muggle and magical worlds collide. The costumes and sets are gorgeous, the storyline has some intrigue, and the beasts themselves are pretty cute, too. Taken on its own, the film still earns a respectable 74% from Rotten Tomatoes critics and 79 from fans. But if you’re looking for a return to the feeling you got from seeing your favorite Harry Potter heroes onscreen, this isn’t it.

The Deathly Hallows films bookend the Harry Potter movies franchise for good reason: the second part feels like a finale and the first like a prelude. That’s natural, because part one has a lot of set-up to do. And because the book has so much going on, the movie has no choice but to streamline some of the subplots. That leaves the film feeling a little flat, a bit unfinished, and sort of like a stepping stone before the big finale. Rotten Tomatoes critics agree, giving it a 77% to fans’ 85. Get some popcorn and watch both Deathly Hallows movies back-t0-back for the best experience.

Here’s the thing about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Have you seen the size of the book? Cramming a tome like that into one movie is a serious feat, and this is the shortest Harry Potter film to boot. Some of the nuances of the book’s gathering darkness are tough to capture on film; Dolores Umbridge can come off as cartoonish, while Dumbledore’s Army doesn’t inspire as much excitement onscreen as it does on the page. But it’s far from a flop, with an 81% fan score and a 78 from Rotten Tomatoes’ experts.

The first of the Harry Potter movies had pretty big expectations to meet. And at the end of the day, it’s a movie about an 11-year-old wizard so yes, it’s going to feel like a kids’ flick. That’s because it is. But just like reading the books over and over again hits me right in the feels, so does Harry’s first foray onto the big screen. It gets nostalgia points from me, my fellow fans, and Rotten Tomatoes critics, who gave it an 81% rating to fans’ 82.

The Chamber of Secrets holds a special place in my heart, as the first of the Harry Potter movies that really captured my affection. It still holds up, if only for nostalgia’s sake. It’s darker than the first installment, with more magical excitement and sass from its tweenage stars. Even as an adult, parseltongue still sends shivers up my spine. Rotten Tomatoes critics and fans both agree, giving the film an 83 and 80% score, respectively.

Measurably darker than some of its previous installments, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince sees Voldemort’s reign of terror continue to creep past even the previously safe haven of Hogwarts. But amidst the horror, our heroes’ burgeoning love interests provide some light. Anyone who’s ever been a teenager finds themselves nodding along as they clash over who gets the girl (or guy), proving that love may not always win, but it’s sometimes a pretty great distraction. Rotten Tomatoes critics loved it for that reason, with an 83% approval score and a 78 from fans.

In this fourth installment of the Harry Potter movies, both the characters themselves and the filmmaking starts to grow up, grappling with not only the dark forces at play in their world but their own teenage impulses. Who can forget the first stirrings of love that emerge when the other tournament contestants arrive, not to mention Ron’s iconic dress robes? But there’s plenty of darkness here, too. The tournament’s tasks balance fanciful magic with believable effects, which contributed to Rotten Tomatoes critics giving it an 88% and fans a 74.

With the introduction of the spooky dementors, delightfully weird Hogsmead, creepily mysterious Sirius Black, and of course, the ethereal patronuses, this third Harry Potter installment has it all. True confession: Azkaban was always my least favorite of the series, but the movie won me over with sheer visual prowess. And both critics and fellow fans agree, giving it a 90 and 86% Rotten Tomatoes score, respectively.

The Harry Potter series ends on a high note with this visually gorgeous, powerfully acted, and of course, edge-of-your-seat finale. The film splits the final book into two, culminating in the ultimate battle between good and evil. And sure, we might love it so much because it’s the last hurrah in a series that’s captured our imaginations for over a decade. But hey, that’s still worth something. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it a 96% rating and audience gave it a 89%, and it’s easy to see why.